Group calls for anti-Obama demonstration Friday in dowtown San José

The New Socialist Party (NPS), composed of mainly young people and university students, called for a “March of Repudiation” against U.S. President Barack Obama and Costa Rican President Laura Chinchilla during a regional presidential summit that kicks off on Friday.

On its website and Facebook page on Thursday, the group said it was organizing a protest that would begin at 3:30 p.m. on Friday in San José’s Central Park.

The NPS said it hopes to avoid clashes with police – as happened during the annual May Day labor march on Wednesday – but that it was advisable for participants to wear comfortable shoes and “to bring water, vinegar and citrus,” which are useful for “counteracting the effects of tear gas.”

The NPS added that it would not be responsible for provocations ​​by public security forces or another third party.

The group did not say if the demonstration would move to another part of the capital or if protesters would remain in Central Park.

Obama will arrive Friday at 2 p.m. to participate in a Central American Integration System (SICA) summit with Central American presidents. The president of the Dominican Republic also will attend.

NPS members took part in an anti-government rally on Wednesday. Some protesters burned effigies of Obama, while others hurled stones and battled riot police. NPS also opposes Obama’s upcoming visit.